SYNAGOGUE SPOTLIGHT
The exterior of CBS
Congregation Beth Shalom Continues to Innovate TOP: Cutline cutline culine cutine Cutline cutline culine cutine Cutline cutline culine cutine Cutline cutline culine cutine
As a pioneering Conservative congregation in Oakland County, Beth Shalom builds on a rich, seven-decade history. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN VICAR
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The sanctuary
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APRIL 21 • 2022
ongregation Beth Shalom is a smaller congregation nestled in southeast Oakland County where, according to Rabbi Robert Gamer, people get the opportunity to know each other. “CBS is a warm, welcoming space where Jews can gather to be themselves to pray, study and interact with a broad spectrum of people in the Jewish community,” Gamer said. CBS, a Conservative/Masorti congregation, is also highly participatory. Members take active roles in every aspect of their services. “People make Beth Shalom special,” Gamer said. “The members are welcoming and kind. Children are always welcome in the sanctuary and welcome on the bimah throughout services.”
CBS was the first Conservative congregation in suburban Oakland County. The shul was founded in the early 1950s by residents of Huntington Woods and Oak Park who walked door-to-door asking if people would like to start a new shul. They began meeting in people’s basements until the first stage of the building, still CBS’ only location, was completed in 1957. In the beginning, a combination social hall/sanctuary served the congregation’s needs until the sanctuary, chapel and offices were added in 1965. The unique sanctuary, designed by synagogue architect Percival Goodman, permits more than 500 people to sit within 35 feet or 11 rows of the bimah. A classroom wing was added in 1998. Kehillat Etz Chayim, a Modern Orthodox congregation formed in
